The Return of the Dreads tour made it’s way to Southern California compared to the last time this tour took place in 2013. The tour features nu-metal giants KoRn, horror mastermind Rob Zombie, and metalcore band In This Moment. A huge package like this requires a big venue. So, the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater which is soon to be demolished was picked for this monstrous show. After putting up with some of the worst traffic venue, far parking, and packed lines to get in, fans were finally able to walk into the venue and pack it early to be sure all three bands got the attention they deserved.

In This Moment kicked off the show as their started the show with with the first single from their newest Black Widow album, Sick Like Me. ITM is known for their stage theatrics so it was no shock to see frontwoman Maria Brink came out in a black dress and being accompanied by two dancers known as blood girls. Up next was the album title track, Black Widow. Brink had changed her outfit to that of a nurse and her blood girls were now dancing with huge syringes. The third song was Sex Metal Barbie and a big pink judge seat was set for Brink to stand on while performing the song. The show continued with Burn and then a quick costume change as Brink came out wearing a dunce hat with the word Whore written on it as she prepared to perform Whore which is one of Brink’s more personally written songs about how when she was younger she would be called worthless and shit. The six-song setlist came to a close with Blood from the previous album of the same name. In This Moment finished their set and did a good job of warming up the fans for what was still to come. The only downside to the show was the long breaks in-between songs during costume changes. Other than that, In This Moment puts on a solid show and made for a great opening act.

Rob Zombie released his sixth solo album The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser (try saying that five times fast!) on April 29th, 2016. Many fans in attendance were excited for Rob Zombie. So by the time the band came on, the venue was packed to capacity. The lights went out as the intro track to the new album The Last of the Demons Defeated started. The members of the band came out one by one as the fans cheered them on. Guitarist John 5 came out with a mouth piece that lit up in different colors while bassist Piggy D wore an intergalactic space vampire mask. Rob Zombie himself came out and they started the show with Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown from the previous Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor album. The second song was one of Zombie’s best songs, Superbeast. It being super popular, fans could be heard singing along to the song. With the song came out a huge remote-controlled devil to add to the intensity of the song.

Zombie did a great job of playing the classic like Living Dead Girl, Never Gonna Stop, and House of 1000 Corpses. Zombie even brought out a couple of White Zombie covers like Thunder Kiss ’65 and More Human Than Human. New songs also made an appearance and everyone danced to songs like Everybody’s Fucking In A U.F.O, The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore and In the Age of the Consecrated Vampire We All Get High. The band threw a bit of humor into their show by playing a cover of Tone-Loc‘s Wild Thing which got everyone dancing. John 5 is one of today’s most underrated guitarists and for a few minutes, let his guitar do the talking as he kept the crowd entertained with an electrifying guitar solo. Near the end of the show, John 5 did a John Stafford Smith cover of the Star-Spangled Banner as the rest of the band came out to play the final song, a cover of Grand Funk Railroad‘s We’re An American Band. The show was thought to be over, but the screens in the background lit up to reveal the trailer for Rob Zombie’s upcoming movie titled 31 which gets a release date somewhere in September. The trailer finished and to end the show, Rob Zombie played his most famous song, Dragula. Rob Zombie finished the show to a standing ovation from the audience then left the stage for the co-headliner of the night.

KoRn is one of the most popular bands out right now. Love them or hate them, you cannot deny their success in the music industry. The venue was still packed to max capacity as the lights went out and the venue once again erupted into a frenzy as Korn came out and started the show with Right Now. The energy was electrifying as Korn played their music. Korn next played their hit Here to Stay. Korn has made note that they have a new album coming out on October 21st and on this tour are playing the first single from it called Rotting in Vain. All the band members were very active and energetic. With the name of the tour being Return of the Dreads, it was no surprise seeing guitarist Brian “Head” Welch and frontman Jonathan Davis whipping their hair and dreads around. Other songs that Korn brought out to play were Y’All Want a Single, Coming Undone, Twist, and Narcissistic Cannibal. Even for a few songs, Korn let their kids join them on stage as they ran and jumped around.

The stage went silent for a bit and then the crowd cheered as they saw Davis come out playing his bagpipes. Fans knew what was coming and so Korn played another one of their biggest hits, Shoots and Ladders. To make the song extra special, Korn played a snippet of Metallica‘s One and fans could be seen singing along and headbanging. Blind is one of the band’s biggest hits and is especially famous for when the singing starts, Davis starts by saying “Are you ready!?!?” and the beat of the song starts and has the whole crowd jumping as well as mosh pits down below in the general admission pit.

Nearing the end of the show, Korn played Falling Away From Me, another one of their biggest hits. The show sadly came to an end when Korn played one of the most famous songs in metal, Freak On a Leash. It’s always awesome seeing Davis do his beatbox track in the middle of the song which is what made the song famous. The band finished the song and were given a strong standing ovation by the audience. The Return of the Dreads tour is one of the best tours of the year and it’s still in the beginning stages so if you see that they’re coming near you, be sure to go. You will not be disappointed!